Totorus

Photo credit by this is markb

A visit to the dentist once or twice a year is recommended to maintain healthy teeth and overall oral hygiene. What happens during a dental visit? The dentist assesses and examines your teeth and gums, and determines your overall oral health. He then cleans your teeth of plaque that has accumulated over the course of six months or since your last visit, and performs other dental procedures such as prophylaxis when needed. Lastly, he recommends ways on how to keep your teeth and gums at their best health.

But dental health is not just a twice a year thing. In between these visits, you must keep your teeth and gums healthy by brushing with fluoride toothpaste twice or thrice a day, flossing regularly and avoiding foods such as sweets and candies that can cause tooth decay.

The most commonly used teeth cleaning tools at home are few. But there are more and more dental gadgets and products being developed and invented regularly that could help maintain better dental hygiene. So far the most common ones are still the best to combat tooth decay and overall dental health. These are the following:

Toothbrush: They now come in a variety of shapes and brands. The traditional manual brushes are widely used today although some dentists now recommend electric brushes that use rotation oscillation movement. Not only are they easier to use, some say they are more effective than manual toothbrushes in cleaning hard to reach areas and covering more teeth surface. But manual toothbrushes are still reliable alternative. Use the ones with soft bristles so as not to damage and hurt the gums.

Toothpaste: Fluoride toothpastes are still the best. But you can now find various types of fluoride toothpastes with added ingredients such chamomile, mint and other herbal ingredients. There are also toothpastes that specifically target sensitive teeth and gums. They also come in variety of flavors.

Dental Floss: Comes in waxed and unwaxed variety with different flavours to boot. Flossing is sometimes the neglected part of dental care. More than benefiting teeth, flossing has been proven to keep gums healthy. Dental picks and tape are often used to replace dental floss. Choose one that you think is better for you.

Mouthwash: Though not really necessary, mouthwash has become a part of people’s daily dental care. Normally used after brushing and flossing, some people also use mouthwash when time does not allow them to brush properly. But this should not be so as mouthwash can only do so much.

Besides the commonly used tools, there are other teeth cleaning tools to use at home such as the following:

Irrigation Devices: A motorized gadget that releases water to flush out debris in between teeth.

Disclosing Tablets: The tablet is used to identify areas where plaque and tartar are present. It makes your teeth dark red to indicate that tartar and plaque are there.

Interdental Cleaners: These are special plastic or wooden picks that can be used to clean and take out debris in between teeth and other hard to reach areas that a regular toothbrush can’t reach. They are great for people who have braces and bridges.